DPRK Foreign Relations
Boondoggle on the Yalu: China’s Useless New Bridge to North Korea
A huge new piece of bilateral infrastructure on the Sino-North Korean frontier is to remain unopened for the foreseeable future. Sino-NK provides Chinese context to the news.
Communist Normalcy: How Authoritarian Leaders Disappear and Return
Kim Jong-un has now made a handful of public appearances since ending his 40+ days out of the public eye, and it appears clear that the young leader’s health was a major cause of his absence. This came as no surprise to analyst Nick Miller.
North Korean Scholars and Koguryo: How to Reignite a Historical Controversy on Chinese National Day
With a host of signs popping up that ties between Beijing and Pyongyang are poor, and a few that suggest the opposite, Adam Cathcart looks at how the North Korean government is currently brandishing an unmistakable totem of clashing nationalisms.
Purges, Promotions, and Foreign Policy: Lessons from Kim Il-Sung
Using recent power shuffles in the Pyongyang security elite as a backdrop, this essay investigates the peculiar roots and practices of North Korean purges.
Odyssey of Extortion: Chinese Press Coverage of the North Korean Boat Hijacking
When armed North Korean soldiers boarded their vessel, six Chinese fishermen and their boat were in for a rough ride. An exclusive Sino-NK translation and media analysis.
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